How Do You Carry?
- Thread starter roy reali
- Start date
hardworker
New member
If I'm bird hunting I keep my left hand on the fore end and my right hand on the grip with finger out of the trigger guard. The safety goes off when I see a bird. It's just a pushbutton safety that can be knocked off in a fraction of a second.
Scattergun Bob
New member
Roy,
That's a lot of info, I'll give it a try
My field carry of choice is in the crook of my arm, I secure the gun with my weak hand thumb over the small of the stock. Sometimes this carry is inappropriate and I use a standard port arms.
If I am expecting a flush, I use the muzzle raised (hunting) position, where the front bead is just below my center of vision, my weak hand index finger is pointing
along the barrel and I move the gun with my eyes.
From my hunting position, I simply move the butt of the scattergun up toward my jaw and shoulder to mount the gun for firing, MY eye never leaves the barrel and the target.
I hunt with a M-1 S-90 or a 870 my shooting finger tip is lightly resting upon the safety at the rear of the trigger guard in my hunting and mounting position. When I hunt with my Super-X 1, I actually have to use my right thumb to disengage the safety, It's a pain but I have done it for so long it is a muscle memory at this point.
My safety is disengaged when the stock strikes the side of my face.
Well, there it is.
Good Luck & Be Safe
That's a lot of info, I'll give it a try
My field carry of choice is in the crook of my arm, I secure the gun with my weak hand thumb over the small of the stock. Sometimes this carry is inappropriate and I use a standard port arms.
If I am expecting a flush, I use the muzzle raised (hunting) position, where the front bead is just below my center of vision, my weak hand index finger is pointing
along the barrel and I move the gun with my eyes.
From my hunting position, I simply move the butt of the scattergun up toward my jaw and shoulder to mount the gun for firing, MY eye never leaves the barrel and the target.
I hunt with a M-1 S-90 or a 870 my shooting finger tip is lightly resting upon the safety at the rear of the trigger guard in my hunting and mounting position. When I hunt with my Super-X 1, I actually have to use my right thumb to disengage the safety, It's a pain but I have done it for so long it is a muscle memory at this point.
My safety is disengaged when the stock strikes the side of my face.
Well, there it is.
Good Luck & Be Safe
Last edited:
oneounceload
Moderator
Walking, gun is broken open.....ready for flush, gun is muzzle up so as to not hit the dog (blue sky rule). Safety is never on - my guns all have manual safeties - either the gun is ready to fire or it is broken open and safe. I use O/U or SxS guns for hunting birds; finger goes on the trigger as the gun hits my shoulder and cheek - a la the "Move, Mount, Shoot" method of sporting clays
I usually hunt with O/U's - so all the safeties are on top of the tang-at least on Browning's/ easy to reach / but I rarely have the safety on.
Like OneOunce, when I'm walking the gun is broken open - and if its a surprise flush - plant my feet, focus on the bird only, move the gun forward - closing the gun and mounting the gun ...and execute the shot. If the dogs are alert, and I'm the "Hot" gun or 1st shooter / I will have the gun closed / muzzle up / finger up on receiver above trigger guard - never inside trigger guard or on trigger ---plant my feet, mount the gun, find dogs in peripheral vision, (hard focus on bird, never on barrel, and execute the shot).
My typical gunmount - is a "rectangle" - where the gun goes straight out, straight up --and straight back to my shoulder ( focus on bird, finger on trigger and preset the trigger (take slack out), and execute the shot).
If I choose to hunt with a semi-auto or a pump gun ....the action is open / or back on a pump ( shell is in receiver / but not in chamber ) - and safety is not engaged. If an unexpected flush happens / I close the action - putting a shell in the chamber ...mount the gun and execute the shot. If I'm the Hot gun / dogs are alert --- I will close the action / muzzle always up at that point ( gun at port arms ) - as long as the footing is secure.
If the footing is not clear and unobscured ... then I will always leave the action open until I can plant my feet vs walking where I might stumble on uneven ground with a round in the chamber. I don't rely on a safety lever to "bail me out" ....if I were to trip or fall.
But the safety on top of the tang / like with a Browning BPS pump is another reason I like that gun - if I choose to use the safety for some reason / its there and easy to reach. ( but I think the action open / is frankly better ) ---and if you practice closing and mounting the gun in a fluid motion / its a quick move.
Like OneOunce, when I'm walking the gun is broken open - and if its a surprise flush - plant my feet, focus on the bird only, move the gun forward - closing the gun and mounting the gun ...and execute the shot. If the dogs are alert, and I'm the "Hot" gun or 1st shooter / I will have the gun closed / muzzle up / finger up on receiver above trigger guard - never inside trigger guard or on trigger ---plant my feet, mount the gun, find dogs in peripheral vision, (hard focus on bird, never on barrel, and execute the shot).
My typical gunmount - is a "rectangle" - where the gun goes straight out, straight up --and straight back to my shoulder ( focus on bird, finger on trigger and preset the trigger (take slack out), and execute the shot).
If I choose to hunt with a semi-auto or a pump gun ....the action is open / or back on a pump ( shell is in receiver / but not in chamber ) - and safety is not engaged. If an unexpected flush happens / I close the action - putting a shell in the chamber ...mount the gun and execute the shot. If I'm the Hot gun / dogs are alert --- I will close the action / muzzle always up at that point ( gun at port arms ) - as long as the footing is secure.
If the footing is not clear and unobscured ... then I will always leave the action open until I can plant my feet vs walking where I might stumble on uneven ground with a round in the chamber. I don't rely on a safety lever to "bail me out" ....if I were to trip or fall.
But the safety on top of the tang / like with a Browning BPS pump is another reason I like that gun - if I choose to use the safety for some reason / its there and easy to reach. ( but I think the action open / is frankly better ) ---and if you practice closing and mounting the gun in a fluid motion / its a quick move.
oneounceload
Moderator
If the gun is opened, there is no way it can go off - so, if passing from one to another it would be safe. Personally, I would empty it only because I wouldn't want to have shells fall out into some muck or other junk
NightSleeper
New member
Wow, interesting responses. Doesn't anyone trust a safety anymore? 
I hunt birds with either a pump or semi-auto. I carry the gun through the fields in a variety of ways, sometimes over my shoulder, sometimes nested in my arms like a baby in his loving mother's arms. The gun is loaded, one in the chamber, chamber closed, safety on, trigger finger outside of the trigger guard. If I am expecting a flush, then the safety comes off and I wait for it. As for the surprise flush, I simply flick the safety off, up comes the gun and KABOOM ... meat on the table.
I hunt birds with either a pump or semi-auto. I carry the gun through the fields in a variety of ways, sometimes over my shoulder, sometimes nested in my arms like a baby in his loving mother's arms. The gun is loaded, one in the chamber, chamber closed, safety on, trigger finger outside of the trigger guard. If I am expecting a flush, then the safety comes off and I wait for it. As for the surprise flush, I simply flick the safety off, up comes the gun and KABOOM ... meat on the table.